Paper ID #7210

Experiences in Developing a Robotics Course for Electronic Engineering Tech-nology

Dr. Antonio Jose Soares, Florida A&M University/

Antonio Soares was born in Luanda, Angola, in 1972. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electri-cal Engineering from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in Tallahassee, Florida in December1998. He continued his education by obtaining a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering fromFlorida Agricultural and Mechanical University in December of 2000 with focus on semiconductor de-vices, semiconductor physics, Optoelectronics and Integrated Circuit Design. Antonio then worked forMedtronic as a full-time Integrated Circuit Designer until November 2003. Antonio started his pursuit ofthe Doctor of Philosophy degree at the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in January 2004under the supervision of Dr. Reginald Perry. Upon completion of his PhD, Dr. Soares was immediatelyhired as an assistant professor (Tenure Track) in the Electronic Engineering Technology department atFAMU. Dr. Soares is conducting research in education (STEM), Optoelectronics, nanotechnology androbotics.

Dr. G. Thomas Bellarmine P.E., Florida A&M University/Florida State University

Biography Dr. G. Thomas Bellarmine Professor Florida A&M University Tech. Bldg. B, Room 202Tallahassee, FL 32307 850-599-868 (Office) 830-561-2739(fax) gnanasigamani.bellar@famu.edu Dr. G.Thomas Bellarmine is currently working at Florida A&M University as Professor of Electronic Engi-neering Technology. He is currently teaching Electronic and Computer Engineering Technology Courses.He obtained his BSEE degree from Madras University and MSEE degree from Madurai Kamaraj Uni-versity in India. He received his PHD in EE from Mississippi State University and M.S. in ComputerScience from The University of West Florida. He is currently an IEEE Senior Member and a Memberin ASEE. He is also a Registered Professional Engineer. His research interest includes power systems,energy management systems, and computer applications in communications.

Dr. Doreen Kobelo, Florida A&M University/Florida State UniversityProf. Rabbani Muhammad, Florida A&M University

Rabbani Muhammad AIA NCARB, Reg. Architect Rabbani Muhammad Architects AIA. NCARB 1801Meridian Rd Suite B Tallahassee, Fl 32303 r.muhammad @att.net rabbani.muhammad@famu.edu Cell850-264-5268 Education:

Pennsylvania Institute of Technology, AAD Arch, Industrial Structural Design, Eng. Technology HowardUniversity, Washington D.C. B. Arch Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. M. Arch Mass. Institute ofTechnology Pennsylvania Institute of Technology A.Dp Eng.Tech; Industrial Structural Design; Architec-tural Design

Teaching Experience:

Maryland Institute of Technology Illinois Technical College Temple No.2 Adult Education Classes UmmAl- Qura, College Of Engineering, School of Islamic Architecture, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia FloridaA&M University, College of Engineering, Sciences, Technology and Agriculture Project Area Coordi-nator, Construction Engineering Technology Florida A&M University College of Architecture, MasterThesis Reviewer

Academic Administration:

Interim Director of Division of Engineering, CESTA 1996-98 Program Area Coordinator, ConstructionEngineering Technology

Related Membership Organizations:

American Institute of Architects National Council of Architectural Registration Board National HistoricalPreservation Society Alpha Rho Chi National Architectural Fraternity Alpha Phi Omega National Service

c©American Society for Engineering Education, 2013

Page 23.568.1

Paper ID #7210

Fraternity Kappa Alpha Psi National Social Fraternity National Alliance of Black School Educators Na-tional Black Engineers Society

Licenses to Practice Architecture:

Washington D.C. State of Illinois State of New York State of Pennsylvania State of Florida

Awards:

Teacher of the Year, Florida A&M University, Division of Engineering Technology, College of Engineer-ing, Sciences, Technology and Agriculture 1993, 1994 and 2000 Zeta Educational Thespian AssociationDesign Award Kopper Corporation Design Completion Design Award, 1st Place

Research Travels:

Mexico City, Mexico Dakar, Senegal Edmonton, Canada Lagos, Nigeria London, England Santo Domingo,Dominican Republic Paris, France Nassau, Bahamas Roma, Italy (Guest of Pope John Paul II ) Amster-dam, Netherlands Athens, Greece Lisbon, Portugal Istanbul, Turkey Seville, Spain Makkah Al- Mukarama,Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Hajj 1982, 1988, 1996) Beijing, China Jakarta, Indonesia Accra, Ghana Cairo,Egypt Lome, Togo Munich, Germany Brussels, Belgium Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Addis Abba,Ethiopia United Arab Emirates Rabbani Muhammad Architects Design Projects Overview

Housing Project Current Planning Stage:

23 unit housing sub-division, Nashville, Tenn. (Design) 11 unit hosing sub- division, Saluda, SouthCarolina (Design) 30 assistant living facility units, Definaick Springs, Fl. (Design)

Completed Planning and Approval Stage Projects:

24 – Three –bedroom town homes, Markham, Illinois (Design)

Completed Renovation Projects:

Shabazz Cluster Housing 39 units Harlem, New York (Design) Washington D.C In-fill sites 100units(Design) 58 units Housing for the Elderly, Greenville, South Carolina (Design) Many single family units

Completed New Housing Units:

124 units mixed use housing project Lincoln Ave Apartments, Chicago, Ill (Design) 12 units -StudentHousing Apartments, Tallahassee, Fla. A&M University (Design) Shabazz development Housing 40three family town homes, Harlem, NY (Design and Project Administration)

Projects Under Design/ Construction Stage:

Graceline Condominiums 104 West 116th Street 58 units w/ Commercial (Design) Booker T Washing-ton Shopping Plaza, Chicago, IL Columbus, Ohio, Afro-American Basketball, Museum and EducationalCenter

Large Scale Projects International:

1996 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Madinah New town, a community that is composed of 1100 signalfamily housing units. These units where built with 3-bedrooms, 2.5 baths, living, dining and kitchen.Also, included in this project were commercial, retail and security buildings. A major play areas whereplaced throughout the internal park system. (Design and Construction Management) Madinah, KSA Sk.Fausi Tafik Villa, Makkah, KSA Sk. Aggah Villa, Makkah, KSA

Preservation Projects:

Matilda Mosley House ( Zora Neal Hurston Residence) Eatonville, Fl. Design and Construction andmanagement) Malcolm Shabazz Masjid Preservation Project

Religious Projects:

National Primitive Baptist Convention Multi- Purpose Building and Memorial Park, Huntsville, Al (Present)St. Johns MEB Educational Facility, Tallahassee, Fl. 1997 St. Paul’s AME Church Addition, Tallahassee,Fl 2004 Antioch AME Church Addition, Quincy, Fl 1995 Masjid Al-Nalh, Masjid Addition, 2007

Munree Cemetery Planning and Design, Tallahassee, Fl

c©American Society for Engineering Education, 2013

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Paper ID #7210

Hotel Projects:

Days Inn Renovation, Tallahassee, Fl Scottish Inn Hotel, Jacksonville Fl. Days Inn Renovation, Live Oak,Fl Dutch Inn Renovations and Addition, Tallahassee, Fl

Food Preparation Projects:

Ferrell Restaurant Renovation, Tallahassee, Fl 2006 L’Jau’s Restaurant Renovation, Albany, Georgia 2007Halal Abattoir, New Plant, Jackson County, Fl 2000 Ferrell Ice Cream Shop, Tallahassee, Fl 2005 159thSt Shopping Center, Markham, Ill 2005 Banquet and Social Hall, Prince Georges County, Md 2007 GotFish Fast Food Restaurant, Chicago, Ill

Medical Facility Projects:

200 Bed Hospitals, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 1987 100 Bed Hospitals, KSA, Arar, KSA 1986 SoutheastMedical Clinic, Washington D.C. 1973 Doctors Office, Pioneer Building, Chicago, II 1976 Glover DentalOffices, Albany Georgia, 2006

Urban Planning and Design Projects

14th Street Urban corridor, Washington D.C Anacostia Southeast Washington D.C. Plan 8th Street Cor-ridor Washington D. C. Harlem, New York 116th Street and Malcolm Shabazz Blvd. Revitalization andRestoration Plan East New York High School, Planning and Design, Brooklyn, New York Calvert CountyHigh School, Planning and Design, Calvert County, Maryland

Community Service:

Religious Advisor Volunteer from 1970 to Present to the following Departments of Corrections FloridaDepartment of Correction Death Row Inmates, Lecturer Mass. Department of Corrections, EducationVirginia Department of Corrections, Lecturer Federal Department of Corrections, Lecturer

STEM Educational Project Papers ASEE paper on the STEM Summer Educational Institute in MagnoliaTerrace, Tallahassee, Fl ASEE paper on co authored a Paper in Robotics in the Building Design

Dr. Chao Li, Florida A&M University

Dr. Chao Li is an assistant professor in Electronic Engineering Technology at Florida A&M University.He teaches electronic and computer engineering technology courses. He obtained his B.S.E.E. degreefrom Xi’an Jiaotong University and M.S.E.E. degree from the University of Electronic Science and Tech-nology of China. He received his Ph.D. in E.E. from Florida International University. He is an IEEE seniormember and an ASEE member. His research interests include signal processing, biometrics, embeddedmicrocontroller design, and application of new instructional technology in classroom instruction.

Dr. Salman A. Siddiqui, Florida A&M University

Salman A. Siddiqui received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Florida State University, Tallahassee,FL, from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering in the field of Electrical Engineering in 2000, 2002,and 2012, respectively. The M.S. degree was in the field of communications while the Ph.D. degree wasin the field of Robotics. He has a passion to teach and to make it interesting and simple for students toadvance in the field of Electrical/Electronic Engineering and STEM in general. He has been teaching asan adjunct Professor at the FAMU Electronic Engineering Technology program since 2010.

Mr. Stacy Tinner

c©American Society for Engineering Education, 2013

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Experiences in Developing a Robotics Course for Electronic

Engineering Technology

Developing a robotics course for an engineering technology program has proven to be a

challenge. Most textbooks and/or robotic programs are designed for engineering programs. As

such, there is a great deal of mathematical modeling and analysis which is not fitting for a

technology curriculum. At the other end of the spectrum, there are a myriad of low level robotics

based curriculum such as the LEGO or the Parallax Boe-bot robot platforms. These are normally

used in K-12 educational and summer programs. This paper presents the process of developing a

suitable robotics course for electronic engineering technology program (EET). We first present

the challenges encountered when developing the course content to suit the engineering

technology curriculum. The curriculum content for both classroom lecture and laboratory

sections are then discussed. A discussion of competition-based projects designed to enhance and

gauge the overall understanding of the course material is then presented. Finally, initial efforts to

make the course an interdisciplinary course are discussed.

Challenges

The initial steps in designing this course were to conduct research on existing technology

programs offering similar courses. There are several programs offering robotics course which are

designed for electrical engineering, manufacturing and/or Mechatronics. Most of these courses

emphasize modeling of robotics motion, controlling actuators and machine programming

techniques such as Computer Numerical Control (CNC) 1, 2

. The modeling of motion using

kinematics and reverse kinematics principles can be very involved and requires a great deal of

matrices manipulation. This calls for the instructor to dedicate a great deal of time introducing or

reviewing mathematical principles such as vectors, dot product, cross product, matrices, etc. In

order to follow a manufacturing curriculum, one must have some infrastructure to implement the

laboratory which our institution does not own at this time. On the other hand, there were many

courses and summer programs on robotics which make use of robotic kits such as the LEGO

MindStorms. The curriculum is normally designed for K-12 students and short summer programs.

The issue with these curriculums is their simplicity. The same trend was observed when

researching for books to be used for the robotics course 1, 2, 3, and 4

. There wasn’t a middle ground

which would be suitable for an engineering technology program. On one hand we have complex

curriculums and on the other simple curriculums. The solution was to make use of information

from the upper and lower level and create a new curriculum which is balanced and adequate for

our program.

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Curriculum

It is imperative that the course educational objectives correlate with our program goals and the

Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) educational outcomes. In addition,

when designing the curriculum, existing courses that may serve as pre-requisites must be taken

into account. This will ensure that course content doesn’t become redundant and helps in

designing course topics. Some courses that correlate with this new course include C

Programming, Circuits Design, Controls, Instrumentation, Electronics Design and Digital

Electronics. Based on these factors, comprehensive course description was developed and reads

as follows: “The Introduction to Robotics and Automation course introduces students to the

fundamental concepts of robotics, automation and Mechatronics. Students will learn how to

design robots using a Mechatronics approach. Principles of mechanical systems, electronics, and

programming as applied to the design, building, and mobilization of autonomous robots. Topics

include microcontrollers, actuators, sensors, communication systems and interfaces, and

programming using the Parallax Boe-Bot Robot. In addition, students are briefly introduced to

industrial robot modeling and programming using CNC Technology. Experiments using the RS-

55 industrial robot arm will reinforce the theory introduce in class”.

Course Objectives and Outcomes

The course is structured into a three credit hour lecture and a one credit hour laboratory. The

lectures included conventional power point presentations and in class demonstrations. In the

laboratories students implemented concepts learned during the lecture. The content of the lecture

was set in a progressive fashion so that the construction of the laboratory platform coincided

with the topics being discussed in the lecture. By mid semester the platform was complete and

additional peripherals such as the different type of sensors, motor drivers, controllers and

displays were added as the theory behind them was being introduced in the lecture.

The overall objectives of the course were:

To understand the process of robotics design, modeling and programming

To understand the main component of a robot and a robotic system

To gain knowledge of different types of robots and their application

To be able to design and program robots based on a set of specifications such as light,

sound, and obstacles

To gain some knowledge in robot kinematics and robot modeling

To be exposed to Mechatronics design procedure and concepts

Be able to complete projects individually and in group

To gain critical thinking skills when making robot design decisions

Be able to perform laboratory experiments using a robot kit

Be able to write technical reports

Be able to conduct research in innovative robotics topics for class presentation

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Students were given weekly assignment and quizzes. Quizzes were given at the beginning of

class to ensure students get to class on time. There were also group quizzes where students were

given a problem to solve and then form groups to discuss with each other. Then a student from

one of the groups came to the board and solved the problem. This method helped students that

may have missed the concepts and also ensured that the students were working in the group.

Upon successful completion of the course, students were able to:

Describe the history and evolution of robots

Describe the fundamental components of a robotic system

Demonstrate knowledge in principles of automation and industrial robot systems

Explain the basic principles of robot motion and kinematics

Identify different types of robots and their applications

Explain the science of Mechatronics

Explain the operation of light, touch, and rotation sensors that are used in robotics.

Describe the operation and application of microcontrollers.

Develop computer programs used to control robots

Build and test robots using a specific platform

Participate in team projects to compete with other design teams

Develop and maintain a team webpage to share information

Course Content

To achieve the course goals and due to the limited amount of time in a semester, the Parallax

Boe-Bot robotic kit platform was selected. Figure 1 depicts different kits. The main reason for

selecting this kit was the fact that the instructor had several sets available and is suitable for

demonstrating basic robotics principles. The course content was divided into four main parts: (1)

Mechanical; (2) Electrical; (3) Microcontroller and Software; and (4) Automation and

Mechatronics.

Figure 1 The Parallax Boe-Bot Robot Kit

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The mechanical portion of the course covered topics relevant to the design of a robot and

introduced some related physics and mathematics topics. We started by studying different types

of materials for building robots based on applications. When designing a robot the type of

material can make a big difference when it comes to energy consumption and functionality. We

then introduced simple machines such as inclines, levers, pulleys, and springs. In this portion of

the course several physics concepts are introduce. Some of these include mass, weight, force,

torque, spring physics, velocity and acceleration. In addition, some mathematical topics, such as

trigonometric functions, are discussed.

The electrical module of the course was designed based on the enrolled students’ background.

All enrolled students were in a junior level. As such, they had been exposed to most of the

electrical principles needed to design and understand a robotic system. However, a brief review

was needed on basic topics such as electrical charge, current, voltage, resistance, Ohm’s Law,

and voltage and current division. In a higher level, diodes, transistors and OPAMPS were

discussed. Several relevant circuit configurations were presented in great details. These included

diode voltage regulators, transistor switches and drivers, OPAMP inverters, summers and

amplifiers. Other electrical components specific to moving robots were also discussed. Different

types of motors (AC, DC, Stepper, and Servo Motors), their functionality and application were

presented. Mechanical, electrical and optical sensors were also discussed in great detail. They

included the whisker, infrared, sonar, and phototransistor sensors.

General principles of microcontrollers are introduced. Although several microcontrollers are

discussed, the one used by the Boe-Bot platform is discussed in depth as it is the one used in

laboratory experiments. Topics include types of memory, interfacing, and analog and digital

signals. The Parallax Boe-Bot Robot uses the BASIC Stamp 2 module shown in Figure 25. Over

the years several versions (BS2, BS2 OEM, BS2sx, etc.) of the module has evolved. The

difference among these modules includes upgrades on memory, speed and additional features.

The module used in this course is the BASIC Stamp BS2 Module.

Figure 2 BASIC Stamp 2 Module with components (shown on left) and I/O Pins (on right)

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The BASIC Stamp is programmed in PBASIC, a version of BASIC programming language.

The BASIC Stamp is programmed using a free software package, BASIC Stamp Editor. Code is

written in the editor and downloaded to the BASIC Stamp 4, 5

.

The BASIC Stamp can be used on a variety of carrier boards, used for programming and

testing. The board makes it easy to connect a power supply and programming cables to the

BASIC Stamp module and makes it easy to build circuits to be connected to the BASIC Stamp

module to perform a variety of functions. The most popular carrier boards used to support the

BASIC Stamp are the Board of Education (BoE) and the HomeWork Board (HWB) which are

depicted in Figure 3. The HWB has the module integrated into it while on the BoE the module is

mounted on an IC and can be removed and replaced 5, 6

. The Boe-Bot uses the BoE carrier board.

Figure 3 Board of Education (Left) and the HomeWork Board (Right)

In the early stage of the course this stand alone embedded system was used in laboratory

experiments to illustrate concepts related to robotics. Table 1 shows a set of hands on exercises

that were performed using the board.

Table 1 Exercises Performed with the Board of Education

Exercise Deliverables

Intro to BASIC Stamp

Software

Install the Software, Write basic programs, use the Debug

Terminal display messages, Perform simple arithmetic,

ASCII code

Simple Indicator Circuits Build and test LED circuits, Build LED circuits as event

indicator, Controlling LED ON/OFF Cycles

Digital Control Inputs Build Pushbutton circuits, Control LED circuits using

pushbuttons, initiate events using pushbuttons

Frequency and Sound Build speaker circuit, use speaker circuit as a start and

battery indicator, creating melodies

Seven Segment Display Use the board to control a seven segment display circuit to

display digits

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The lecture related to these experiments were an introduction to the PBASIC language, a review

of resistors, diodes, circuit configurations, current and voltage, digital versus analog systems, and

general seven segment display configurations. Due to the limited amount of time and the

expected outcomes of the course, students were introduced to the basic concepts and through

assignment were expected to build upon them in order to perform the hands on portion of the

course.

The Boe-Bot

Once the microcontroller principles were introduced, the course moved towards building and

programming the Parallax Boe-Bot Robot. The kit contains all components necessary to

construct the robot: aluminum chassis, servo motors, battery case, wheels, and the needed screws

and washers. In addition, there are number of sensors such as whisker and infrared. Additional

components were provided by the instructor when necessary. Once the board of education is

added to the chassis, the servos can be controlled for motion and sensors can be added to achieve

specific tasks. Figure 4 depicts the Boe-Bot Robot after all components are added.

Figure 4 Assembled Boe-Bot Robot with Sensors

This platform can be used for laboratories and projects. Table 2 depicts a list of exercises carried

out in the laboratory using the Boe-Bot Robot.

Table 2 Exercises Performed with the Boe-Bot Robot

Exercise Deliverables

Boe-Bot Servo Motors Assemble Boe-Bot, Center Servos, Servos control

Boe-Bot Navigation Forward, Back, Right, left and Stop, Speed control

Navigation with Touch Sensor Build whisker circuit, Control the Boe-Bot Motion using

whisker, decision based on sensor conditions

Navigation with IR Sensor Build IR circuit, Control the Boe-Bot Motion using

whisker, decision based on sensor conditions

Sensing Light Build Photo resistor circuit, Control the Boe-Bot Motion

using whisker, decision based on light conditions

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Course Projects

There were three projects assigned to the students. Two were individual projects and one was a

group project. In all projects there were a set of specifications given and the students were to

build and program the Boe-Bot to these specifications. There was then a competition and a

technical report submitted by the group and/or individual students.

In the first project, students were to design a simple robot to follow a trajectory which is shown

in Figure 5. When the robot reaches the end it will perform a victory dance and flash LED in a

specific pattern. Projects were evaluated based on accuracy, time taken to complete task, a final

dance routine and flashing LED at the end of each round.

Figure 5 Project 1 Trajectory

For the second project, students were to work on three different cases. The students were to work

on the project individually. Each case was assigned to three students. They would then compete

amongst themselves and each student was to write a technical project report. Figure 6 shows

some of the captured projects images. The groups and cases are as follows:

CASE 1: Design a Robot to move from Point A to B while avoiding obstacles in its path.

CASE 2: Design a Robot to move on top of a table without falling off (the table has black

tape around the edges).

CASE 3: Design a Robot that will follow the robot in front of it.

Figure 6 Projects: (a) Following robots in front (b) Move on top of a table without falling

Page 23.568.10

The third and final project was geared towards the annual IEEE SoutheastCon Hardware

competition. In this competition students from the southeastern region of the US compete to

determine which school will perform best on a set of requirements and rules given by the host

university. The objective of this year’s competition was to simulate the sorting of containers and

packages on a port. Different colored and sized boxes were to be picked up and sorted for

shipping either by rail, sea or air7. This was a group project. Each group was given a task related

to the hardware competition. The students had to use the Boe-Bot platform to demonstrate that

their project worked properly. Additional component, such as sensors, had to be provided to the

students for certain tasks. The group tasks were as follows:

Group 1: Use color sensor to determine the color of the blocks and their locations

Group 2: Devise a method to move and distinguish the blocks by size

Group 3: Determine robot location on the field and avoid obstacles

Group 4: Go up a ramp using a tilt sensor to compensate motion (of moving up the ramp)

while avoiding falling off

The module of the course dedicated to automation and Mechatronics were not presented in depth

due to time limitation. However, general concepts were discussed and students were exposure to

an industrial robot arm seen in Figure 7. Topics in this module included degree of freedom,

Kinematics, and CNC. The instructor demonstrated how the robot arm can be programmed to

perform repetitive tasks.

Interdisciplinary Integration

The engineering technology program at our institute comprises of electronic and construction

engineering technology. The goal is to develop this course with these innovations in mind. There

will be gradual introduction of building and construction into the course and its derivatives. In

construction related fields, building systems requirements in the future will be mandated by

codes and law to perform at an optimum efficiency to counter the effects of global warming on

the climate. The use of robotic responsive systems will play a major impact in the way building

equipment is planned, designed and operated. The educational requirements to educate

competent engineers and technologist will demand a new curriculum approach as well as

integrated teaching approaches.

The future engineers and technologist will have an educational experience that would expose the

nature of future applications in the areas of electro-mechanically-robotic building systems

(EMRBS), distributed energy resources, building envelopes and mechanical ventilation systems

able to detect chemical/biological/radiation (CBR) safety, facility performance evaluation, and

professional team building. Educational curriculum that integrates robotic program topics, if not

classes, will be essential in educating future electronic engineers and technologist to coexist and

excel in robotic design and application.

Page 23.568.11

Conclusions

The implementation of the robotics course for the Electronic Engineering Technology program

presented some challenges when designing an adequate course curriculum. It was necessary to

reconcile teaching material from different sources. After determining the course content, a

suitable hardware platform to implement the theory presented in class lectures was considered.

Time constraints limited the amount of material covered at the end of the course. There are plans

to modify this course to fit an interdisciplinary student body. Construction Engineering

Technology and Computer Sciences are the areas to be included in the future. The course was a

success as it relates to the students’ experience and knowledge gained. It served as a way for

students to integrate their knowledge. The passing rate was 100% for both course and laboratory.

An end of semester course evaluation and survey showed that the students found the course to be

very useful and would recommend the course to other students. The main observation from

students was the ability to integrate their knowledge of electronics into applicable robotics

projects. The projects were directly tied to the course theoretical lectures. Topics discussed

during lectures are implemented and reinforced via projects. This course was originally

implemented as a special topic. Due to the positive feedback from students and high demand,

efforts are on the way to create an official course which is in line with our continuous

improvement portion of the accreditation process. Improvements include providing the robotics

platforms for students instead of requiring students to purchase them; introducing pre-requisites

that facilitate teaching robotics course, and to have a follow-up course.

Bibliography

[1] Williams Geoff, “CNC Robotics, Build Your Own Workshop Bot,” McGraw Hill Companies, 2003.

[2] Kandray Daniel E., “Programmable Automation Technologies: An Introduction to CNC, Robotics and PLCs,”

Industrial Press, New York, 2010.

[3] Sahin Ferat and Kachroo Pushkin, “CNC Practical and Experimental Robotics,” CRC Press, 2008.

[4] Wise Edwin, “Robotics Demystified, A Self-Teaching Guide,” McGraw Hill Companies, 2005.

[5] Lindsay Andy, “Robotics with the Boe-Bot, Student Guide Version 3.0”, Parallax Inc., 2003.

[6] Lindsay Andy, “What’s a Microcontroller, Student Guide Version 2.2,” Parallax Inc., 2003.

[7] IEEE SoutheastCon 2013, Hardware Competition Rules, Version 1, March 18, 2012,

<http://ewh.ieee.org/reg/3/southeastcon2013/documents >

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